Koen Wauters and Pascal Feryn will take part in the Fenix Rally at the end of this week — a seven-day rally-raid that starts and finishes in Monastir, Tunisia. Koen Wauters will once again team up with his trusted co-driver Tom De Leeuw, while Pascal Feryn will have his regular navigator Kurt Keysers by his side. Alongside the two race cars, Team Feryn is also bringing two trucks and a fast-assistance vehicle to Tunisia.
On Monday morning, Team Feryn Dakar Sport left for Genoa, Italy, where, after technical scrutineering on Wednesday, October 29, they will board the ferry to Tunis. The drivers and co-drivers will fly out on Wednesday morning. Thursday will be dedicated to administrative checks and the official briefing. From Friday, October 31, to Thursday, November 6, participants will face seven demanding stages covering 2,756 challenging kilometers, of which 2,140 km are timed. In addition to vast stretches of sand, competitors will tackle the usual dry riverbeds and off-road tracks.
For Team Feryn Dakar Sport, this event serves as preparation for the 2026 Africa Eco Race.
“It’s basically a rally like any other,” said Pascal Feryn, “but yes, it’s true that Tunisia will be our foundation for next year’s Africa Eco Race. We have the cars, we love the sport, and driving them only once a year feels a bit too little. So, we try to have fun in smaller rallies while also testing a few things. We’ll never forget that we’re amateurs, but if you do something, you should do it right. When I see how much time our friends spend every week working on the cars, we owe it to them to take our job seriously. My chief mechanic, Koen Martens, has invested so much time preparing my car that the least I can do is give my best to thank him and the whole team.”
Last year, Koen Wauters competed in the Rally of Morocco, the final round of the World Championship.
“My schedule didn’t allow me to take part again this year,” explained Wauters. “So we looked for an alternative and found the Fenix Rally. Compared to Morocco, the entry list here is smaller, and the budget requirements are also more manageable. You can still drive plenty of kilometers on a demanding course and do your own thing. We don’t know exactly what awaits us — information has been trickling in since last week — but as a team, we know what we’re doing and how we’ll handle it. Everyone knows their role, what’s expected of them, and that we’re going there to have fun. Of course, the fun gets even better when results come along. Around 30 cars will start, and some are stronger on paper than our Toyotas, but every stage has to be driven. So yes, we’re ambitious. When I enter a race, I race to win — for myself and for the team. Our ambition is clear.”
The gap between the end of the Fenix Rally and the start of the Africa Eco Race is just over two months.
“That’s the perfect time frame to prepare one car for the Eco Race. Another car is already ready in our workshop for that rally, so the schedule remains manageable,” said Feryn. “We’re amateurs, but we approach our hobby as professionally as possible — it still needs to stay fun and realistic. The guys who join us give up their free time to work on the cars and even take vacation days to come along. Timing-wise, this rally fits perfectly for me too,” added Wauters. “Between this race and the Eco Race shakedown, there are two months. After that shakedown, I’ll already be in race mode for the first stage. If we hadn’t driven since April, I’d need a few days to get back into rhythm — but in January, that won’t be necessary. From the very first stage, I’ll be ready.”
On Friday, the route runs from Monastir to Douz, where competitors will stay until Monday. On Tuesday, the bivouac moves to Gafsa, before returning to Monastir on Wednesday for the final stage.
Source: Team Feryn Dakar Sport
Translation and adaptation Rally-Raid Network
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